Censor Board red-faced over Indian tricolour's depiction in 'Phantom' poster

Mumbai: The first look posters of 'Phantom', which were unveiled yesterday, features Saif Ali Khan and Katrina Kaif blindfolded with what looks like the Indian tricolour. However, there was another element in the original poster — the Ashoka Chakra, which had to be removed after the Censor Board took exception to the national flag being styled as a blindfold.

A source close to the project says, “The makers had originally used the entire Indian flag for the posters, but the Censor Board objected to it. They suggested using a single colour, but the makers were not convinced and felt it would not give it the desired effect. So, eventually, they decided to remove the Ashoka Chakra from the flag and were able to secure the Board’s approval.”

In February this year, the Censor Board had issued a diktat stating that all film publicity posters had to be approved by it before being unveiled. The film’s spokesperson confirms the news and adds: “We abided by the rules.”

The film is being billed as a counter-terrorism drama in which Saif reportedly plays a spy while Katrina is likely to be seen as a photojournalist. It is an adaptation of S. Hussain Zaidi’s recent novel, Mumbai Avengers. The bestselling author has collaborated on the screenplay of the film.